Patent Application 13134011 - Tradesmans purchase system

Title: Tradesmans purchase system
Application Information

Invention Title: Tradesmans purchase system
Application Number: 13134011
Submission Date: 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
Effective Filing Date: 2011-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
Filing Date: 2011-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
National Class: 705
National Sub-Class: 014150
Examiner Employee Number: 87264
Art Unit: 3622
Tech Center: 3600
Rejection Summary

102 Rejections: 0
103 Rejections: 1
Cited Patents

No patents were cited in this rejection.
Office Action Text



    DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
	The Request for Continued Examination filed 03/26/2025 has been acknowledged. Claims 1, 14 have been amended. Claims 2, 7-13 are cancelled. Claims 1, 3-6, 14 are currently pending and have been examined. 

Notice of Pre-AIA  or AIA  Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA  first to invent provisions. 

Response to Amendment
The amendment to the claims filed on 03/26/2025 does not comply with the requirements of 37 CFR 1.121(c) because claim 14 is currently amended although the claim status recites “previously presented”.  Amendments to the claims filed on or after July 30, 2003 must comply with 37 CFR 1.121(c) which states:

	(c) Claims. Amendments to a claim must be made by rewriting the entire claim with all changes (e.g., additions and deletions) as indicated in this subsection, except when the claim is being canceled. Each amendment document that includes a change to an existing claim, cancellation of an existing claim or addition of a new claim, must include a complete listing of all claims ever presented, including the text of all pending and withdrawn claims, in the application. The claim listing, including the text of the claims, in the amendment document will serve to replace all prior versions of the claims, in the application. In the claim listing, the status of every claim must be indicated after its claim number by using one of the following identifiers in a parenthetical expression: (Original), (Currently amended), (Canceled), (Withdrawn), (Previously presented), (New), and (Not entered).
		(1) Claim listing. All of the claims presented in a claim listing shall be presented in ascending numerical order. Consecutive claims having the same status of “canceled” or “not entered” may be aggregated into one statement (e.g., Claims 1–5 (canceled)). The claim listing shall commence on a separate sheet of the amendment document and the sheet(s) that contain the text of any part of the claims shall not contain any other part of the amendment.
		(2) When claim text with markings is required. All claims being currently amended in an amendment paper shall be presented in the claim listing, indicate a status of “currently amended,” and be submitted with markings to indicate the changes that have been made relative to the immediate prior version of the claims. The text of any added subject matter must be shown by underlining the added text. The text of any deleted matter must be shown by strike-through except that double brackets placed before and after the deleted characters may be used to show deletion of five or fewer consecutive characters. The text of any deleted subject matter must be shown by being placed within double brackets if strike-through cannot be easily perceived. Only claims having the status of “currently amended,” or “withdrawn” if also being amended, shall include markings. If a withdrawn claim is currently amended, its status in the claim listing may be identified as “withdrawn—currently amended.”
		(3) When claim text in clean version is required. The text of all pending claims not being currently amended shall be presented in the claim listing in clean version, i.e., without any markings in the presentation of text. The presentation of a clean version of any claim having the status of “original,” “withdrawn” or “previously presented” will constitute an assertion that it has not been changed relative to the immediate prior version, except to omit markings that may have been present in the immediate prior version of the claims of the status of “withdrawn” or “previously presented.” Any claim added by amendment must be indicated with the status of “new” and presented in clean version, i.e., without any underlining.
		(4) When claim text shall not be presented; canceling a claim.
			(i) No claim text shall be presented for any claim in the claim listing with the status of “canceled” or “not entered.”
			(ii) Cancellation of a claim shall be effected by an instruction to cancel a particular claim number. Identifying the status of a claim in the claim listing as “canceled” will constitute an instruction to cancel the claim.
		(5) Reinstatement of previously canceled claim. A claim which was previously canceled may be reinstated only by adding the claim as a “new” claim with a new claim number.


Since the reply filed on 03/26/2025 appears to be bona fide, claim 14 will be treated as amended in order to advance prosecution.

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.


Claims 1, 3-6, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim recites a credit system for tradesmen and purchase process including utilization of biometrics, application process/requirements, discount benefit, collection of purchase information, and contract related payment and fees. 
The steps of the present invention, under the broadest reasonable interpretation, as directed towards the implementation of a credit program for tradesmen, is directed towards a certain method of organizing human activity, specifically commercial/legal interactions. As currently claimed, the invention is similar to In re Ferguson (interaction including marketing or sales) and Accenture Global services v. Guidewire Software Inc. (agreements for commercial interactions), as the invention is directed towards the a legal agreement between different parties for providing parties including permissions and payments. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers legal/commercial interactions, then it falls within the “certain method of organizing human activity” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claim recites an abstract idea. 
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, the claim only recites the additional element of sending/receiving different types of information, storing/linking information, and utilization of biometric information. These limitations are considered well-understood, routine, and convention as this is merely the transmitting/receiving of data over a network (as discussed in buySAFE, Inc. v. Google, Inc., 765 F.3d 1350, 1355, 112 USPQ2d 1093, 1096 (Fed. Cir. 2014)), electronic record keeping (as discussed in Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank Int'l, 573 U.S. 208, 225, 110 USPQ2d 1984 (2014)), and identifying biological markers (as discussed in Mayo, 566 U.S. at 79, 101 USPQ2d at 1968; Cleveland Clinic Foundation v. True Health Diagnostics, LLC, 859 F.3d 1352, 1362, 123 USPQ2d 1081, 1088 (Fed. Cir. 2017)). Still furthermore, as currently claimed, although the invention does utilize biometric information for the purposes of identifying the user, this is still directed towards the collection and utilization of information.  Accordingly, this additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claim is directed to an abstract idea. 
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional element amounts to no more than merely applying well-understood technological functions to generic computer systems for implementing the abstract idea. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept. The claim is not patent eligible.
The dependent claims are further directed towards the judicial exception without significantly more. The dependent claims provide limitations on the types of biometric information. These are still directed towards the judicial exception as these further define the type of information. They are not significantly more as they do not further integrate the judicial exception into a practical application and the additional element amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. The dependent claims is not patent eligible.

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.

The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 103(a) are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3-6, 14 is/are rejected under pre-AIA  35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Lapsley et al. (US 20010000535 A1) (hereafter Lapsley), in view of Newmark (US 20090121015 A1) (hereafter Newmark), in view of Sadowski et al. (US 2008097810 A1) (hereafter Sadowski), in view of Nielson (US 20020107790 A1) (hereafter Nielson).
As per claim 1:
A tradesman's purchase process for establishing Tradesman's instant credit, said process comprising the steps of: 
a. collecting and storing a tradesman's professional (See Lapsley ¶0187, wherein Lapsley discloses maintaining a professional account) and 
biometric scan data (See Lapsley ¶0080, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of maintaining biometric data), 
issuing instant credit to said Tradesman based on said Tradesman’s professional status as a certified and qualified buyer for trade specific purchases; (See Lapsley ¶0187, ¶0126, ¶0156, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of providing credit.)
b. issuing a cardless (See Lapsley ¶0054, ¶0055, ¶0065, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of providing cardless credit account) tradesman's purchasing credit to said Tradesman by a bank or credit issuing authority (See Lapsley ¶0055, ¶0156, ¶0091, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of the credit to be provided by an issuer)
c. linking said Tradesman's purchasing credit and professional data with a unique I.D. #; (See Lapsley ¶0187, ¶0153, ¶0169, ¶0156, wherein Lapsley discloses the credit to be linked to the ID.)
d. linking said Tradesman's unique I.D. # with said Tradesman's biometric scan data; (See Lapsley ¶0156, ¶0168, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of linking the ID with biometric data.)
f. verifying said Tradesman’s status and using said Tradesman's instant credit (i) for the purchase of merchandise from any location that has no pre-negotiated discounts for making purchases but such purchase occurring as a credit card purchase without any discount benefits, or (ii) for the purchase of merchandise from said wholesalers or jobbers (See Lapsley ¶0053, ¶0170, ¶187, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of the credit to be used for purchase) using Tradesman's purchasing credit unique I.D. # and biometric scan data that results in immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status and automatic generation of pre-negotiated discounts for trade purchases; (See Lapsley ¶0168, ¶0156, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of using the ID and biometric information for the purchase.)
g. said tradesman purchase process: i) validating trade purchases (See Lapsley ¶0155, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of validating the purchase.) and automatically applying pre-negotiated discounts based on said Tradesman's unique I.D. # and biometric data, (See Lapsley ¶0141, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of automatically applying benefits.) ii) tracking purchases and generating a purchase pattern of said Tradesman in a detailed format based on professional supply buying purchases made by said Tradesman, (See Lapsley ¶0105, ¶0143, wherein Lapsley discloses tracking purchase history.) 
h. linking said unique I.D. # with an initiation date, (See Lapsley ¶0182) an expiration date (see Lapsley ¶0105) and a security code (See Lapsley ¶0180), said unique I.D. # being provided by said Tradesman during purchases, and said biometric link between said Tradesman's unique I.D. # and said Tradesman's biometric scan data being operative to actuate said immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status and provide pre-negotiated discounts and additional benefits based on the amount of professional purchases; (See Lapsley ¶0182, ¶0180, ¶0168, ¶0114, ¶0131, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of utilizing ID and biometric to identify the user for a transaction including applying benefits.)
whereby said Tradesman presents said unique I.D. # and biometric data at wholesaler and jobber locations and is immediately recognized as a certified and qualified buyer having professional status, and said discounts are automatically revised in view of ongoing purchases and types of merchandise purchased and applied and provided for trade of specific goods and services, during a paperless transaction, and said tradesman purchase process becomes a marketing tool for the Tradesman. (See Lapsley ¶0002, ¶0154, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of identifying the user and applying benefits using ID and biometrics.)
Although Lapsley discloses the above-enclosed invention including the concept of a card less credit system and providing purchase benefits, Lapsley fails to explicitly disclose the account to be linked to a particular trade and product type.
However Newmark as shown, which talks a tradesman card system, teaches the concept of a purchase account for tradesman including association with particular trades and product types.
a. collecting and storing a tradesman's professional and biometric scan data, a list of professional trade companies that comprise wholesalers and jobbers, and pre-negotiated discounts, and issuing instant credit to said Tradesman based on said Tradesman’s professional status as a certified and qualified buyer for trade specific purchases; (See Newmark ¶0023, ¶0026, ¶0030, ¶0032, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of implementing discounts and issuing credits based on professional status).
b. issuing a cardless tradesman's purchasing credit to said Tradesman by a bank or credit issuing authority upon submission of said Tradesman's professional data comprising an application (See Newmark ¶0032, Newmark teaches the concept of applying for the credit) signed by said Tradesman including Tradesman's name, business address, professional affiliation, license number, and professional status and payment of an initiation fee and subsequent payment of periodic maintenance fees (See Newmark ¶0022, ¶0034, teaches the concept of initiation fee and maintenance fee), said application authorizing the divulgence or disclosure of purchases made by the Tradesman to a third party and permitting the bank or credit issuing authority to disclose purchase patterns of said Tradesman in an agglomerated or detailed format to said wholesalers and jobbers, said Tradesman being selected from the group consisting of plumbers, electricians, carpenters, masons, mechanics, repair shop professionals, contractors, and related construction and trade company professionals; (See Newmark ¶0030, ¶0033, ¶0036, wherein Newmark teaches the types of tradesmen.)
e. providing said Tradesman with said list wholesalers and jobbers that have agreed to provide said pre-negotiated discount for purchase of trade merchandise and services using said Tradesman's purchasing credit (See Newmark ¶0023, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of providing a list of wholesalers and jobbers), and said Tradesman by signing said application, authorizing release of purchasing information to said jobbers and wholesalers (See Newmark ¶0023, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of the user having submitted an application including agreement to release purchase information) wishing to increase their business through acquisition of new customers without having to finance additional accounts receivables (See Newmark ¶0023).
f. verifying said Tradesman’s status using said Tradesman's instant credit (i) for the purchase of merchandise from any location that has no pre-negotiated discounts for making purchases but such purchase occurring as a credit card purchase without any discount benefits, or (ii) for the purchase of merchandise from said wholesalers or jobbers using Tradesman's purchasing credit unique I.D. # and biometric scan data that results in immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status and automatic generation of pre-negotiated discounts for trade purchases; (See Newmark ¶0032, ¶0023, ¶0024 wherein Newmark teaches the concept of utilizing the instant credit using ID and biometric including applying specialized discount. See also Newmark ¶0023 and ¶0034, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of maintaining account status.)
ii) tracking purchases and generating a purchase pattern of said Tradesman in a detailed format based on professional supply buying purchases made by said Tradesman, (See Newmark ¶0023, ¶0035, wherein Newman teaches the concept of tracking user purchases) iii) automatically revising the pre-negotiated, specialized discounts in view of ongoing purchases and types of purchased merchandise consummated by the Tradesman to reward the Tradesman with increased discounts for merchandise procured, (See Newmark ¶0021, ¶0023, ¶0024, ¶0032, ¶0033, claim 10, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of revising the benefits based on tracked purchase activity including particular product details.) (iv) automatically applying said revised pre-negotiated discounts to said ongoing purchases by said Tradesman, and (See Newmark ¶0032, ¶0033, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of revising benefits) (v) communicating said purchase pattern to service providers and wholesalers for a fee; (See Newmark ¶0023, ¶0033, ¶0035, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of providing the purchase pattern of users.)
h. linking said unique I.D. # with an initiation date, and optionally an expiration date and a security code, said unique I.D. # being provided by said Tradesman during purchases, and said biometric link between said Tradesman's unique I.D. # and said Tradesman's biometric scan data being operative to actuate said immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status and provide pre-negotiated discounts and additional benefits based on the amount of professional purchases; (See Newmark ¶0021, ¶0024, ¶0026, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of linking a user account for identifying user and applying discounts. See also Newmark ¶0040, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of optionally maintaining particular information on the card for presentation for a transaction.)
i. sponsoring said Tradesman's instant credit by service providers and wholesalers upon payment of an initial sponsorship fee and periodic payment of fees for tradesman professional purchase reports; (See Newmark claim 9, wherein Newman teaches the concept of implementing wholesaler fees.)
j. automatically setting said discount levels for said discounts by said bank or credit issuing authority for trade merchandise at cash register checkout; (See Newmark ¶0024, claim 6, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of implementing discount levels.)
k. including within said professional purchase reports brand specific purchase details and product details that indicate end use customer preferences; and (See Newmark claim 10, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of reports to include product details.)
l. establishing additional discounts for tradesman professional purchases, or providing incentives by said service providers and wholesalers; (Newmark claim 11, where Newmark teaches the concept of establishing additional discounts/incentives.)
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Newmark with the invention of Lapsley. As shown, Lapsley discloses the concept of a credit system including establishing and utilizing biometrics to implement a cardless system for both performing transaction and applying discounts, thereby replacing conventional cards. Newmark further teaches the concept of a card system specifically directed towards tradesmen to provide benefits for both tradesmen and wholesalers including providing discounts, as well as allowing for targeted marketing and information tracking/collection (See Newmark ¶0021, ¶0032). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the of the invention to have combined the invention of Lapsley with the teachings of Newmark, such that the invention of Newmark (including the benefits for both user and issues) are executed through a card less system (as disclosed by Lapsley).  
Although the combination of Lapsley and Newmark discloses the above-enclosed invention, the combination fails to explicitly disclose the application to include the specific information and verifying account status.
However Sadowski as shown, which talks about the creation and management of merchant accounts, teaches the concept of an application to include specific information and verifying account status.
Application (Sadowski ¶0075)
Tradesman name  (Sadowski ¶0086)
Business Address (Sadowski ¶0076)
Professional Affiliation (Sadowski Fig. 12 and ¶0090)
License Number (Sadowski ¶0086)
Professional Status (Sadowski ¶0096)
f. verifying said Tradesman’s status using said Tradesman's instant credit (i) for the purchase of merchandise from any location that has no pre-negotiated discounts for making purchases but such purchase occurring as a credit card purchase without any discount benefits, or (ii) for the purchase of merchandise from said wholesalers or jobbers using Tradesman's purchasing credit unique I.D. # and biometric scan data that results in immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status and automatic generation of pre-negotiated discounts for trade purchases; (See Sadowski ¶0006, wherein Sadowski teaches the concept of verifying account status for a transaction.)
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Sadowski with the combination of Lapsley and Newmark. As shown, the combination discloses the concept of a merchant credit program including the concept of applying for the program and maintaining the status of credit accounts. Sadowski further teaches the concept of applications for a merchant account to include particular information to further simplify the application process (See Sadowski ¶0009 and ¶0011). Sadowski further teaches that it is well known to check the status of the account during a transaction (See Sadowski ¶0006). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Sadowski with the combination of Lapsley and Newmark as Sadowski teaches these are known requirements for application of a merchant credit account and known practices in credit/electronic transactions.  
Although Lapsley, Newmark, and Sadowski discloses the above-enclosed invention, the combination fails to explicitly disclose a signature authorizing the application and the sharing of information. 
However Nielson as shown, which talks about managing credits for construction, teaches the concept of signature authorizing the application and the sharing of information. 
upon submission of said Tradesman's professional data comprising an application signed by said Tradesman including (See Nielson ¶0042) Tradesman's name, business address, professional affiliation, license number, and professional status and payment of an initiation fee and subsequent payment of periodic maintenance fees, said application authorizing the divulgence or disclosure of purchases made by the Tradesman to a third party and permitting the bank or credit issuing authority to disclose purchase patterns of said Tradesman in an agglomerated or detailed format to said wholesalers and jobbers, (See Nielson ¶0042, ¶0045)
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Nielson with the combination of Lapsley, Newmark, and Sadowski. As shown, the combination discloses the concept of application for a specialized credit account. Nielson further teaches such applications and documents to require signatures. Nielson teaches the concept of implementing digital signatures and notary to further simplify the implementation of contractual agreements (See Nielson ¶0008). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Nielson to further simplify the implementation of contractual agreements. 
As per claim 3:
A tradesman's purchase process for establishing Tradesman's instant credit as recited by claim 1, wherein said biometric scan data includes palm print scan data of the Tradesman. (See Lapsley ¶0012)
As per claim 4:
A tradesman's purchase process for establishing Tradesman's instant credit as recited by claim 1, wherein said biometric scan data includes fingerprint scan data of the Tradesman. (See Lapsley ¶0012)
As per claim 5:
A tradesman's purchase process for establishing Tradesman's instant credit as recited by claim 1, wherein said biometric scan data includes eye iris scan data of the Tradesman. (See Lapsley ¶0012)
As per claim 6:
A tradesman's purchase process-for establishing Tradesman's instant credit as recited by claim 1, wherein said biometric scan data includes voice print data of the Tradesman. (See Lapsley ¶0012)
As per claim 14:
A tradesman purchase process for establishing and issuing credit for a tradesman, comprising:
a. collecting and storing a tradesman's professional data (See Lapsley ¶0187, wherein Lapsley discloses maintaining a professional account) and biometric scan data, (See Lapsley ¶0080, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of maintaining biometric data), 
issuing instant credit to said Tradesman as a certified and qualified buyer for purchasing goods or services; (See Lapsley ¶0187, ¶0126, ¶0156, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of providing credit.)
 b. issuing a cardless (See Lapsley ¶0054, ¶0055, ¶0065, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of providing cardless credit account) tradesman's purchasing credit by a bank or credit issuing authority  (See Lapsley ¶0055, ¶0156, ¶0091, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of the credit to be provided by an issuer)based on said professional data and associated with said unique I.D. #;  (See Lapsley ¶0055, ¶0156, ¶0091, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of the credit to be provided by an issuer)
d. said Tradesman's biometric scan data being at least one of eye iris scan data, fingerprint data, palm print data, face recognition data and voice recognition data; (See Lapsley ¶0012, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of different biometric data.)
f. verifying said Tradesman’s status and using said cardless Tradesman's purchasing credit (i) for the purchase of merchandise from any location that has no pre-negotiated discounts for making purchases with such purchase occurring similar to a credit card purchase without any discount benefits, or (ii) for the purchase of merchandise from said wholesalers or jobbers (See Lapsley ¶0053, ¶0170, ¶187, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of the credit to be used for purchase) using Tradesman's purchasing credit unique I.D. # provided by said Tradesman during purchases and linked with biometric scan data that results in immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status and automatic generation of pre- negotiated discounts and additional benefits for trade purchases based on the amount of professional purchases; (See Lapsley ¶0168, ¶0156, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of using the ID and biometric information for the purchase.)
g. said tradesman purchase process: i) actuating immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status, validating trade purchases (See Lapsley ¶0155, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of validating the purchase.) and automatically applying pre-negotiated discounts based on said Tradesman's unique I.D. # and biometric data, (See Lapsley ¶0141, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of automatically applying benefits.) ii) tracking purchases and generating a purchase pattern of said Tradesman in a detailed format based on professional supply buying purchases made by said Tradesman, (See Lapsley ¶0105, ¶0143, wherein Lapsley discloses tracking purchase history.) 
whereby said Tradesman presents said unique I.D. # and biometric data at wholesaler and jobber locations and is immediately recognized as a certified and qualified buyer having professional status, and said discounts are automatically revised in view of ongoing purchases and types of merchandise purchased and automatically applied and provided for trade of specific goods and services purchased during a paperless transaction, and said tradesman purchase process becomes a marketing tool for the Tradesman. (See Lapsley ¶0002, ¶0154, wherein Lapsley discloses the concept of identifying the user and applying benefits using ID and biometrics.)
Although Lapsley discloses the above-enclosed invention including the concept of a card less credit system and providing purchase benefits, Lapsley fails to explicitly disclose the account to be linked to a particular trade and product type.
However Newmark as shown, which talks a tradesman card system, teaches the concept of a purchase account for tradesman including association with particular trades and product types.
a list of professional trade companies that comprise wholesalers and jobbers, and pre-negotiated discounts, and issuing a unique I.D. # for said Tradesman for issuing instant credit to said Tradesman based on said Tradesman’s professional status as a certified and qualified buyer for purchasing goods or services; (See Newmark ¶0023, ¶0026, ¶0030, ¶0032, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of implementing discounts and issuing credits based on professional status).
c. said professional data comprising an application (See Newmark ¶0032, Newmark teaches the concept of applying for the credit) signed by said Tradesman, including said Tradesman's name, business address, professional affiliation, license number, and professional status, said application authorizing the divulgence or disclosure of purchases made by the Tradesman to a third party and permitting the bank or credit issuing authority to disclose purchase patterns of said Tradesman in an agglomerated or detailed format to said wholesalers and jobbers, said Tradesman being selected from the group consisting of plumbers, electricians, carpenters, masons, mechanics, repair shop professionals, contractors, and related construction and trade company professionals; (See Newmark ¶0030, ¶0033, ¶0036, wherein Newmark teaches the types of tradesmen.)
e. said list of wholesalers and jobbers having agreed to provide said pre-negotiated specialized discount for purchase of trade merchandise and services using said Tradesman's purchasing credit, and said Tradesman by signing said application (See Newmark ¶0023 and ¶0024, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of providing a list of wholesalers and jobbers including pre-negotiated specialized discounts), authorizing release of purchasing information to said jobbers and wholesalers (See Newmark ¶0023, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of the user having submitted an application including agreement to release purchase information)  wishing to increase their business through acquisition of new customers without having to finance additional accounts receivables (See Newmark ¶0023); 
f. verifying said Tradesman’s status and using said cardless Tradesman's purchasing credit (i) for the purchase of merchandise from any location that has no pre-negotiated discounts for making purchases with such purchase occurring similar to a credit card purchase without any discount benefits, or (ii) for the purchase of merchandise from said wholesalers or jobbers using Tradesman's purchasing credit unique I.D. # provided by said Tradesman during purchases and linked with biometric scan data that results in immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status and automatic generation of pre- negotiated discounts and additional benefits for trade purchases based on the amount of professional purchases; See Newmark ¶0032, ¶0023, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of utilizing the instant credit using ID and biometric including applying discount. See also Newmark ¶0023 and ¶0034, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of maintaining account status.)
g. said tradesman purchase process: i) actuating immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status, validating trade purchases and automatically applying pre-negotiated discounts based on said Tradesman's unique I.D. # and biometric data, ii) tracking purchases and generating a purchase pattern of said Tradesman in a detailed format based on professional supply buying purchases made by said Tradesman, (See Newmark ¶0023, ¶0035, wherein Newman teaches the concept of tracking user purchases) iii) automatically revising the pre-negotiated specialized discounts in view of ongoing purchases and types of purchased merchandise consummated by the Tradesman to reward the Tradesman with increased discounts for merchandise procured, (See Newmark ¶0021, ¶0023, ¶0024, ¶0032, ¶0033, claim 10, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of revising the specialized benefits based on tracked purchase activity including particular product details.) (iv) automatically applying said revised pre-negotiated discounts to said ongoing purchases by said Tradesman, and (See Newmark ¶0032, ¶0033, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of revising the benefits.)  (v) communicating said purchase pattern to service providers and wholesalers for a fee; (See Newmark ¶0023, ¶0033, ¶0035, wherein Newmark teaches the concept of providing the purchase pattern of users.)
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Newmark with the invention of Lapsley. As shown, Lapsley discloses the concept of a credit system including establishing and utilizing biometrics to implement a cardless system for both performing transaction and applying discounts, thereby replacing conventional cards. Newmark further teaches the concept of a card system specifically directed towards tradesmen to provide benefits for both tradesmen and wholesalers including providing discounts, as well as allowing for targeted marketing and information tracking/collection (See Newmark ¶0021, ¶0032). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the of the invention to have combined the invention of Lapsley with the teachings of Newmark, such that the invention of Newmark (including the benefits for both user and issues) are executed through a card less system (as disclosed by Lapsley).  
Although the combination of Lapsley and Newmark discloses the above-enclosed invention, the combination fails to explicitly disclose the application to include the specific information and verifying account status.
However Sadowski as shown, which talks about the creation and management of merchant accounts, teaches the concept of an application to include specific information and verifying account status.
Application (Sadowski ¶0075)
Tradesman name  (Sadowski ¶0086)
Business Address (Sadowski ¶0076)
Professional Affiliation (Sadowski Fig. 12 and ¶0090)
License Number (Sadowski ¶0086)
Professional Status (Sadowski ¶0096)
f. verifying said Tradesman’s status and using said cardless Tradesman's purchasing credit (i) for the purchase of merchandise from any location that has no pre-negotiated discounts for making purchases with such purchase occurring similar to a credit card purchase without any discount benefits, or (ii) for each purchase of merchandise from said wholesalers or jobbers using Tradesman's purchasing credit unique I.D. # provided by said Tradesman during purchases and linked with biometric scan data that results in immediate recognition of said Tradesman as having said professional status and automatic generation of pre- negotiated discounts and additional benefits for trade purchases based on the amount of professional purchases; (See Sadowski ¶0006, wherein Sadowski teaches the concept of verifying account status for a transaction.)
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Sadowski with the combination of Lapsley and Newmark. As shown, the combination discloses the concept of a merchant credit program including the concept of applying for the program and maintaining the status of credit accounts. Sadowski further teaches the concept of applications for a merchant account to include particular information to further simplify the application process (See Sadowski ¶0009 and ¶0011). Sadowski further teaches that it is well known to check the status of the account during a transaction (See Sadowski ¶0006). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Sadowski with the combination of Lapsley and Newmark as Sadowski teaches these are known requirements for application of a merchant credit account and known practices in credit/electronic transactions.  
Although Lapsley, Newmark, and Sadowski discloses the above-enclosed invention, the combination fails to explicitly disclose a signature authorizing the application and the sharing of information. 
However Nielson as shown, which talks about managing credits for construction, teaches the concept of signature authorizing the application and the sharing of information. 
upon submission of said Tradesman's professional data comprising an application signed by said Tradesman including (See Nielson ¶0042) Tradesman's name, business address, professional affiliation, license number, and professional status and payment of an initiation fee and subsequent payment of periodic maintenance fees, said application authorizing the divulgence or disclosure of purchases made by the Tradesman to a third party and permitting the bank or credit issuing authority to disclose purchase patterns of said Tradesman in an agglomerated or detailed format to said wholesalers and jobbers, (See Nielson ¶0042, ¶0045)
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Nielson with the combination of Lapsley, Newmark, and Sadowski. As shown, the combination discloses the concept of application for a specialized credit account. Nielson further teaches such applications and documents to require signatures. Nielson teaches the concept of implementing digital signatures and notary to further simplify the implementation of contractual agreements (See Nielson ¶0008). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have utilized the teachings of Nielson to further simplify the implementation of contractual agreements. 

Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/26/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. 
In response to the Applicant’s arguments as directed towards the 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection, the Examiner respectfully disagrees. The Applicant asserts the claimed invention is directed towards a particular data structure which improves the way data is stored, received, and processed similar to Enfish. The Examiner notes in the case of Enfish, the invention of Enfish is directed towards a self-referential table including particular limitations directed towards the actual structuring of data which provided particular technical benefits, and wherein the particular benefits are explicitly discussed in the originally filed specification of Enfish. In the present case, although the invention does collect and store information, the claims and specification are silent on any specific data storage structure or specific technical benefits as a result of the particular data structure. The Applicant further asserts the elements such as signing of an application, and using purchase patterns as a marketing tool are further improvements. The Examiner notes as discussed above and in MPEP 2106.04(a)(2), these are directed towards business practices and optimization of business functions. The Applicant further asserts the immediate recognition of tradesmen status,  and utilizing biometrics for performing transactions further improves the way data is received, stored, and processed. The Examiner notes these elements merely define the information being stored without and description regarding the particular structure of the database itself. In contrast, the invention is similar to Ultramercial and Flook, wherein the receiving, storing, and processing of information are activities for performing the business process in a computer environment. Still furthermore, the concept of providing credit to qualified parties and collection of marketing information are also business practices as demonstrated in cases such as Credit Acceptance, Ultramercial, and OIP Technology. As such, the Examiner asserts the claimed invention is directed towards judicial exceptions. The Applicant further asserts the claimed invention is significantly more similar to Example 46 of the October 2019 Subject matter Eligibility Examples. The Examiner notes as shown in Example 46, claim 1 is determined to be ineligible while claims 2-4 are determined to be eligible. Claim 1 of Example 46 is determined to be ineligible as the invention is directed towards performing a particular analysis wherein the steps of claim 1 of Example 46 are mere instructions to apply the analysis to generic computer components. Claims 2 and 3 of Example 46 are determined to be patent eligible as these claims recite particular corrective actions being implemented based on the information analysis including specifically controlling particular feed dispenser and sorting gates. Claim 4 of Example 46 is determined to be patent eligible as the claim recites particular hardware components. In the present case, the invention is not directed towards particular hardware like Claim 4 of Example 46, nor does the present claim control particular machines such as feed dispenser or sorting gate for managing live stock. In the present case, the invention does not specifically recite any particular machine nor does the claim recite interaction with any specific machine. Still furthermore, unlike Example 46 which is directed towards taking corrective actions in a life science context, the present invention is directed towards business practice and functions, which as discussed above and in MPEP 2106.04(a)(2), are abstract, and as discussed in OIP Technology, optimization of business metrics are also considered abstract. As such, the Examiner asserts the claimed invention is directed towards a judicial exception without significantly more and the rejection has been maintained.
In response to the Applicant’s arguments as directed towards the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection under the combination of Lapsley, Newmark, Sadowski, and Nielson, the Examiner respectfully disagrees. The Applicant assert the combination fails to teach/suggest the amended limitations of the discounts to be specialized and the optional linking of information. The Examiner notes the as shown above, the combination, specifically Nielson does teach the amended limitations. The Applicant further asserts the combination fails to teach/suggest requiring validation and verification of tradesmen status using the unique ID with biometric information, and that Lapsley teaches only utilizing a biometric information. The Examiner notes as further clarified in both the Advisory Action of 03/26/2025 and Final Rejection of 12/26/2024, Lapsley teaches the concept of utilizing biometric information to retrieve unique ID information. The claim and specification does not specifically require receiving both unique ID number and biometric information from a consumer during a transaction but merely that these are the information used for verification and application of credit for a transaction. In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e. particular interactions and what information is provided between consumer and seller) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). In response to applicant's argument that the invention “facilitates creation and continuance of work projects”, “develops instant credits for individual with little or no credit”, “creation of a marketing tool for the Tradesman”, a recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art.  If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim. As such, the Examiner asserts the combination of Lapsley, Newmark, Sadowski, and Nielson teaches the limitation of claims and the rejection has been maintained.
All rejections made towards the dependent claims are maintained due to the lack of a reply by the applicant in regards to distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the Examiner’s action in the prior Office Action (37 CFR 1.111).  The Examiner asserts that the applicant only argues that the dependent claims should be allowable because the independent claims are unobvious and patentable over Lapsley, Newmark, Sadowski, and Nielson.

Conclusion
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/VINCENT M CAO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3622